The Pros And Cons Of Drinking: Weighing Alcohol’s Effects On The Body

Healthy Alcohol Consumption

This Washington Post article by Jennifer Larue Huget considers the topic of integration of moderate amounts of alcohol into a healthy diet. It describes some of the most prominent health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption and examines the tradeoffs associated with various forms of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Finally, the author reports on the subtle boundary between recreational drinking and dependence, citing medical guidance against anyone drinking on a daily basis. Overall, moderate drinking can produce modest health benefits such as lower heart disease incidence, but higher levels of consumption counteracts these benefits through increased risk of cancer, suicide and vehicular accidents. This information is useful to those seeking to understand alcohol’s effects on the body and what constitutes a healthy level of consumption.

Even Moderate Alcohol Consumption Can Be Harmful

In early recovery, it’s easy for an alcoholic to lean heavily on the pros of drinking alcohol and romanticize its consumption. Some even use the health benefits of alcohol to justify continuing to drink, but alcoholic drinking looks nothing like the “healthy” drinking described in the article. In addition, new studies report that the less you drink, the better your health. Moderate to heavy consumption of alcohol has several health risk factors health including high blood pressure and other cardiovascular issues, among others, so many times the risks outweigh the benefits. Even though one glass of wine may help with heart health, it’s important for those struggling with alcoholism to realize the reality and severity of their situation.